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Saturday, October 31, 2015

I’m not quite sure how this costume idea came into my mind, but a
few months ago it crept into my imagination and set up a nest there. Here is my
initial sketch:

Here is how the costume turned out. Unlike some of my past Halloween costumes, I can sit down in this one if I need to. Apparently I've learned from my past design mistakes!

I did use real garlic, dried pasta and red pepper flakes on this costume. But everything else I made from felt, yarn, paint, and hot glue:

Vegetarian or meat lovers?

This costume idea appealed to me on various levels. I like
Italian food and have wonderful memories of living in Florence when I was
twenty-one. In my mid-twenties I worked as a hostess at an Italian restaurant
here in San Diego’s Little Italy. This helped supplement my very modest income
as a starving artist. Note to all young artists out there: if you supplement
your earnings by working in a restaurant, make sure it’s as good as the one
where I worked. Great food, and lots of spirited arguments in Italian amongst the
five brothers who owned the place. Even arguments and insults in Italian sound
beautiful. The language is lyrical and there’s so much life in it.

Of course, being me, I liked the idea of bringing some humor
to a costume. Wearing food is inherently funny. Having the pizza slice nearly
falling off the table, and a plate of spaghetti on my head—well, I couldn’t
resist the chance to wear something that I thought would make people laugh.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Every Wednesday I wear a costume I’ve made during the week,
and today is no exception. Even if the biggest costume day of the year
is in a mere three days. I’m making a separate costume for Halloween, as well as helping
at the giant carnival where my older two kids go to school. Did I think that
making two costumes from scratch inside of four days sounded like a lot? Yes,
actually! So I decided that today’s outfit could have elements from other
Halloween seasons. Today’s costume doesn’t involve quite as much sewing and
gluing and prep as some of my weekly creations have, but people, I am only
human!

This shirt is one I made a year ago. Buttons add some fun
texture to any clothing item, I say. I did make my tutu this week. It’s the
first tutu I’ve attempted and I’m happy with how it turned out. There is
something delightful about wearing a tutu as a grown up. It instantly puts me
in a playful mood and my Wacky Wednesdays are about being playful and
lighthearted. Tutus are easy to make and to customize (with lots of tutorials
online, whether you want to use a sewing machine, as I did, or whether you
prefer a no sew approach).

Rounding out my costume are some Halloweenish accessories.
I made these jack o' lantern earrings a year ago. Yesterday I made the antennae and attached them to my headband. So that’s all, folks. A Halloweenish Wednesday costume to
get everyone in the mood for costumes on Oct. 31st.

Halloween is extra festive this year, as it falls on a
Saturday and (in theory) we can stay up all night in our costumes. In reality,
I have a feeling I will not stay up all night. This mom has been racing through
the hamster’s wheel this month, just trying to get things ready for Oct. 31st. My head will hit the pillow before midnight, I am certain, and my golden
carriage will turn back into a pumpkin--Wait, am I mixing up stories here?
Like Cinderella, I will be back from the ball trick-or-treating before
the clock strikes twelve. I won’t be leaving behind any glass slipper. I will
fall, face first, into bed and sleep happily ever after. Or however the story
goes…

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

I’m declaring it here and now: pinecones
will be the it accessory this holiday
season. Don’t know what to wear to the company party? Pearls too traditional
for you? Worried that your scarf might land in your wine glass? The solution: a
festive pine cone.

Let’s examine the pros and cons of pine cone
accessories:

Pros:

1.They’re free.

2.They show that you
appreciate nature.

3.They have texture
and depth.

4.You can embellish
them any way you want, so you’ll have a unique accessory.

5.They’re a good
conversation starter.

Cons:

1.They can poke you
or whomever you are dancing with or hugging.

2.They may snag your
sweater.

3.They’re heavier
than most accessories.

4.They may not
adhere to dress codes in particularly snazzy or uptight establishments.

You see? The pros clearly outweigh the
cons.

Surprisingly, this blog post has roots that go back two years. I was at a spot where pine trees grow,
and I noticed that a clump of pine cones had fallen off the tree above. What, pine
cones grew in clumps? Who knew? Certainly not me. I grew up in Southern
California, which mostly has palm trees and Eucalyptus (no, they aren’t
indigenous to this area but believe me, they’re everywhere here). There were a
few pine trees where I grew up but it’s not like I lived in a forest. So when I
picked up this clump of cones two years ago I was a surprised to see cones
clustered densely. I decided to take the clump home. Fast forward two years and
I’m making accessories from pine cones—the same clump I picked up that day
under the pine tree.

I’m going to share a brief science
lesson here for a minute. (Stay with me.) I actually should be calling these
cones “conifer cones” but I’m used to saying pine cone so I’m going to stick
with that.

The individual projections on a pine
cone are called scales. Their arrangement is no accident. The scales grow in a
logarithmic spiral—in other words, it’s a spiral that continues to grow at a
specific rate. Each spiral is double the width of the previous curve. Check out
this diagram:

Long ago, a
mathematician named Fibonacci discovered that there is a formula that applies
to the formation of many things in nature. He noticed that the spacing of things like pine cone scales follows an ever-increasing spiral. His findings are called the
Fibonacci Sequence.

Some
pinecones have a distinct spiral at their base, whereas on other cones it’s
less obvious. My idea for turning pine cones into accessories gained steam when
I painted the scales of a pine cone and saw the spiral clearly. The scales are
positioned so that there is a clockwise spiral pattern as well as a
counterclockwise spiral pattern. See what I mean?

Anyway, I decided that pinecones would make fun and unusual accessories. Painting them in bright colors adds a lot of whimsy. Here is a photo of what my project looked like before I made the cones into a necklace. They look like Easter eggs, I’d say:

Today, after
wearing my accessories for six or seven hours it dawned on me that my pine cones are a little
reminiscent of Frida Kahlo’s accessories. She often wore something on her head,
usually something colorful, whether it was flowers, fabric or ribbons. It was
an unintentional reference, but I like the common thread with Kahlo, an artist
who was bold and produced a lot of colorful self-portraits. In a way, that’s what
I create each week: colorful self-portraits.

Back to
pinecones. Did you know that they come in very tiny sizes, too? I made them
into earrings this week. Check out how adorable these teeny, tiny pine cones
are:

I didn’t
have any jumbo cones on hand. But in case you’re wondering which tree produces
the biggest cones, it is the Coulter pine. This tree’s cones can be up to 15.7
“ long and 11 pounds when fresh. My costumes sometimes are uncomfortable, but I
might have to draw the line at an eleven pound pine cone atop my head.

Thanks for
joining me for another edition of Science meets Sarah. Will you join me next Wednesday for more fun?
I’ll take care of the wackiness. All you have to do is show up.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The game of Checkers has some competition these days. That
thing you’re glued to right this minute—the computer—has changed how people
play games. (Well, it’s changed a lot of things, but today we’re talking about
leisure activities.) I suspect that Checkers has taken a hit in popularity
since the arrival of Candy Crush, Minecraft and a zillion other games played on
phones, tvs and computers. Poor Checkers. Let’s get back to basics today and
pay a little attention to a game that requires no software, no electricity, and
no screen. All it takes is a flat surface and two players. Let’s get our
Checkers on!

Here’s the close-up of my hat:

Let me clarify my comment about technology. I like using machines as much as the next person, and technology has its place. If not for machines, this blog would have to be delivered to you by carrier pigeon. But there’s something charming about settling down with a board game, or drawing a giant hopscotch on the sidewalk. Monopoly. Hula hoops. Activities that don’t involve machines. Back to basics. Today’s Checkers costume reconnects me with games from my childhood.

Would you like to know how I made this outfit? I cut up some
cardboard boxes to make my game board. I painted the board red, then cut black
squares out of construction paper. The round game pieces are made from
cardboard, too. I attached flat strips of magnets to the back of them (as well
as to the board) so that the pieces could move. (However, once I started
walking, some of the pieces would not stay put, so I hot glued a number of them
to the board. I was a little disappointed that I would not be able to get
people to actually play with this set, but it was a bigger priority to have my
costume stay put. A word about the strips of magnets I tried to use. For another
purpose they would be great. I like that these strips are so lightweight,
unlike regular magnets. I like that you can cut as big or as little of a piece
as you need. The strip was only $3 after using the coupon at my local craft
store.) You can see how thin this strip of magnet is:

My hat is made of oversized checkers pieces (made from paper
plates) because a fun hat always adds a lot. Earrings? Yes, I made them from
cardboard, as well.

In truth, it’s been years since I’ve played Checkers. We
have a set here at home. And of course, now I have a wearable set. But why stop here? Maybe
this could start a whole new wave of games you can wear. Anyone with me?!

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me. I liked
reconnecting with a game I played as a child. As I was cutting cardboard and
pondering this board game, I realized that Checkers teaches kids to plan ahead
a few moves. This game teaches strategy. It teaches turn-taking. This activity
isn’t just fun—it has lessons hidden
in it too. (Shhh, don’t tell the kids).

Now, enough of this chitter-chatter. Back to our Checkers game.
It’s your move.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

I have a love-hate relationship with bird of paradise plants.
Years ago I blogged about the toils of trimming one of these plants. For some
reason, I decided to trim this plant by hand, with hedge clippers. It took
hours and my forearms were sore for days. But hundreds of cuts later, the plant
was trimmed down to 3" at its base. I had won the battle.

The thing is, though, the plant seems to be winning the war.
The bird of paradise in our backyard is back. It’s bigger than ever--eight feet in diameter--crowding
neighboring plants out of the way with its beaks.

And yet I am conflicted. This is a beautiful plant. Its petals
are full of saturated color: bright orange contrasting with deep purplish-blue.
The flower is such an unusual shape, with its pointy petals. The blossoms
really do look like birds’ heads, which is fun. I decided this plant would make
a fun subject for a costume. Here’s what I came up with:

Below is a close up of one of the flowers I made for my hat:

I already had a green skirt to use, and I created the
flowers from fabric and pipe cleaners in my sewing stash. I did spend $2 for the shirt
(thrifted), but everything else I used was already on hand.

I wore my costume to my kids’ schools, to stores and around
town. People’s reactions gave me an interesting glimpse into the ongoing
man-woman-Venus-Mars debate. Today, a bunch of men asked me what my costume was
about. The women I passed generally knew that these flowers are birds of
paradise. I was honestly surprised how many men didn’t know this flower. Here
in San Diego there are bird of paradise plants on every block. They’re everywhere. Plus, its name is easy to
remember so I thought everyone knew what it is called. Apparently not, so this
seems to be a learning opportunity—for me.
I will try not to make so many assumptions about plants (or other
things) I think everyone knows.

Want to know a
little bit of trivia about this plant? It is native to South Africa. The plant is
very drought-tolerant. I should know—ours grew back with a vengeance with
absolutely no water or encouragement from me. Birds of paradise are associated
with liberty, magnificence and good perspective.

It was fun to
wear my hat today because it casts quite a dramatic shadow. I think the shadow
of my flowers looks a lot like the shadows of the actual plant.

Well, our lesson
on birds of paradise needs to draw to a close. I have 1,000 things to do before
bed so my birds and I are off. Thanks for reading. We’ll see you next Wednesday with more creative
fun…

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Today in Sarah’s Biology Class we will be discussing animal
instincts.

The lesson will be based on science and fact. Very loosely
based. There will be anecdotes, questions and jokes. Again, not an ultra
scientific exploration of animals down to their very DNA. A fun mish mosh of
science meets Sarah. Shall we begin?

There have been many scientific moments in my life and
household of late, which meant a blog post was inevitable. In order of appearance,
here are the scientific questions and observations that have emerged:

1)Why is there a toy Smurf in the refrigerator?

Smurfs may be known by their scientific classification,
Smurfus Invisibilitatae. They have the
unique ability to become invisible when their main predator, Gargamel (an evil
wizard), sneaks too close to their habitat. Smurfs live communally in a group
of hollowed-out mushrooms. Within the colony is one dominant leader who helps
to organize all the worker Smurfs. The leader’s scientific name is Smurfus Paternus. Common name: Papa
Smurf. He is differentiated from the workers, whose coloring is blue and white.
Smurfus Paternus is identified by his
blue and red coloration.

2)Mom, do crickets have brains?

Excellent question, posed by my youngest
child. I settled in to offer this answer: I don’t know, but if they do, it’s
not very big and they can’t make decisions the way we humans can. The cricket
question likely was developed in response to the high frequency of cricket
visits in our house this summer. Approximately once per night, one of my kids
yelled that a cricket had been spotted and that the cricket catcher (me) should
report to the area of the sighting—STAT—with jar in hand. Once upon a time I
was not a fan of crickets. They look like cockroaches and startled me when I
saw them, so at first I was leery. At some point I became used to crickets and
we got a little routine going, in which I’d tiptoe up to the cricket, and with
one swift (expert) move, capture it in a jar. Then I’d say something along
these lines of, “Okay, cricket. Out you go. You know the rules. People inside
the house. Crickets outside. Nighty night.”

3)Spiders are suddenly taking over my
neighborhood.

A few days ago, on my morning walk,
I noticed four or five gigantic, spooky spiders in my neighborhood. I wish I
could say they were Halloween decorations but alas, they were real. They are
the kind with a body as big as a gumball and webs the size of a hula hoop. Eek.
These big bruisers apparently need a lot of attention, for they set up webs
where all the scaredy-cat humans (me) can see them. Their creepy legs move
fast, which adds to the spooky factor, because when you see them, you can’t
help but think, “That thing is fast. I’d better start running now. I have a fifteen foot lead but I
think he could catch up to me and scuttle up my body. HELP!”

4)Fighting like cats and dogs.

Yesterday morning I became an unexpected
referee in an animal fight. I was walking home, past a cat I’ve seen a zillion
times. It’s an orange cat we call “Garfield” and he lives at one of the houses
I pass every day. Sometimes he hangs out at its neighbors’ front yards. I was walking
west and a woman walking a dog was walking east. Our paths were about to cross
the spot where Garfield sat, head up and alert, watching over his sidewalk like
a sphinx guarding a pyramid. Suddenly, the cat lunged at the dog. The dog
lunged back. The dog walker tightened the leash and she and I both said with
authority, “No, cat!” The other woman and I both used our feet to nudge the cat
back (no kicking was involved, it was just a little nudge). Again the cat
charged. Again the feet tried to separate the animals. This all happened within
ten seconds or so. I suppose it was my
animal instinct that took over, rather than a well-thought-out separation
strategy. The dog walker managed to pull her dog down the block and I said
sternly to the cat, “You’re staying here, cat,” and I stayed until the dog was
gone. As I walked home, I replayed the thoughts I’d had during the near fight: Cat, are you kidding me? This dog is at
least fifty pounds. You’d be a Scooby Snack for him in no time flat. Cat, I
know you felines can be territorial but this dog is walking by on a leash, not
trying to take over your cat flat. It’d be like David and Goliath—this dog is
five times bigger than you are. Get real! It hadn’t occurred to me that
cats and dogs might fight each other. Fighting their own, sure. But this tussle
seemed as odd to me as an apple fighting an orange. Still, I felt that I’d
helped prevent a fight. I patted myself on the back.

My final animal anecdote didn’t happen to
me, but it fits with our animal theme today. Did you hear that part of a woolly
Mammoth skeleton was found in Michigan quite recently? So exciting! I marveled
at the side of its skull. It must have been mind-boggling for the farmer who
found it in his land. As I read on, I learned that wooly Mammoths have been
found in ten other sites in Michigan, so perhaps the farmer was pleasantly surprised
but not shocked by the discovery. If there are Woolly Mammoths all over Michigan,
it would be the equivalent to news about the weather here in San Diego. “Oh,
sunny and clear? Wonderful.” Just kidding. His discovery must have shocked the
farmer. The skeleton is 12,000-13,000 years old. This woolly Mammoth stuff is
exciting!

Thanks for joining me for another educational
episode of Sarah’s Biology Class. I hope you learned something and laughed a little, too.